Brookfield/Elm Grove Monthly

By Chris Bennett Special to The Freeman ELM GROVE — Comfort can count for a lot when staking one's future and livelihood on the success of a new business endeavor. "We liked the sound of it," said Rhonda Deaver. Deaver and Denise Barnett own Snap- dragon Flowers of Elm Grove at 13458 Water- town Plank Road. "Snapdragon. It's very classy and sleek, which is what we are — fresh. "That's how we came up with the name, after much talking back and forth." Deaver and Barnett started Snapdragon in May 2011. They purchased what was then known as the Elm Grove Village Flower Shop and changed the name to Snapdragon Flow- ers of Elm Grove. The business is a true partnership. Both Deaver and Barnett bring their skill sets to bear on Snapdragon's day-to-day operations. "Denise does all of our operations, and I do all of the finance and mostly the outside sales," Deaver said. Neither woman had any floral experience when they bought the business. "I took a six-week-long class before we opened and we kind of went from there," Deaver said. "We came into it with a lot more of the business aspect." Deaver worked as the office manager and bookkeeper for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in Brookfield and owned a balloon décor business in Eagle before trying floral arranging. Barnett worked in marketing for a local nonprofit. Deaver said the two met 16 years ago when Barnett ran the café at the GE facil- ity in Waukesha. "Denise and I wanted to work together," Deaver said. "We really enjoyed it. When the business came across the table, we loved the location." Deaver said she and Barnett also liked the idea of being part of a small community. "We liked the aspect of a small town, or vil- lage — getting to know everyone and being the business you come to when you need flow- ers," Deaver said. "That kind of prompted it." Without a passion for beauty Snapdragon would not be what it is today. Business acu- men and location are excellent indicators of success, but people need to see something wonderful for their money after leaving a flower store, according to Deaver. "We love beautiful things and creating beauty," Deaver said. "The flowers seemed to fit that aspect of it." The idea of creating beauty coupled with excellent customer service drives Snapdragon and is central to their business culture. "Our vision is to always to go farther and deliver excellence," Deaver said. "We want to make sure our clients get what they're look- ing for and get a little bit extra. Making sure buying flowers is an experience." Another tenet crucial to the success of Snapdragon is being a brand in the communi- ty. Deaver said she and Barnett work wherev- er they can to get Snapdragon in front of would-be customers. "We work a lot with the Brookfield Cham- ber and work with corporations and small businesses to see where we can help enhance their image, both to external customers and customers they're trying to bring in," Deaver said. "We also work with a lot of women's' net- working groups. Anywhere I can find a net- work or people, we do that." Snapdragon's commitment to excellence and beauty and focus on forming and main- taining relationships puts them in position to be more than just a business offering a ser- vice. Arranged flowers can be purchased at numerous locations. "We tell their story and we tell it through flowers," Deaver said. "It's all about them. That's our No. 1 thing." By Stephanie S. Beecher Special to The Freeman WAUKESHA — When most peo- ple think of the holiday shopping season, frenzied crowds, steep dis- counts and big box stores easily come to mind. But, communities across the country are encouraging patrons to also "think small" when it comes to gift buying. Small Business Saturday, a national initiative launched five years ago to celebrate small busi- nesses. will take place Nov. 28. It's an alternative to the Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping events commencing after Thanksgiving. It's also a way to support the busi- nesses that often give back to the communities in which they set up shop, said Jim Hahn, executive director of the City of Waukesha Chamber of Commerce. "While we have large chain stores and things like that, a vast majority of our members are privately owned, independent businesses," Hahn said. "When you purchase things online, you're not supporting your neighbor's job, your kids' soc- cer coach. (Small Business Satur- day) supports the people we work and play with." Small Business Saturday was cre- ated in 2010 as a promotional cam- paign for American Express. The next year, the event was officially recognized by the White House. Though the credit card company is still heavily invested in the success of the initiative — as well as getting more small businesses to sign on to its program — many municipalities have taken it upon themselves to promote the event to entice resi- dents to shop locally. As a founding partner, Hahn says Waukesha has watched the event grow and is working to increase its efforts to help spread the word. Besides branding and registering the tagline "Shop the 'Sha," the city actively recruits small businesses to participate and helps to promote those members during its annual Christmas parade. Efforts such as these appear to be working. In 2014, patrons spent more than $14.3 billion during Small Business Saturday, up from $1 billion in the event's inaugural year, according to the Small Busi- ness Saturday Consumer Insight Survey by Ebiquity. "One of the reasons this program is so important is that dollars spent at local businesses tend to multiply in the community," Hahn says. "One of our beliefs is that a strong business community that employs and uses local talent and resources is a part of a thriving community on a grander scale. People often for- get about the role that these busi- nesses have on the community." That includes those businesses that provide donations and other services to help support local parks, schools and other civic organiza- tions, Hahn added. Around the county Nearby communities, such as Pewaukee, Elm Grove, Delafield and Hartland are following suit. "Our downtown and small busi- nesses are the heart of our commu- nity," said Elaine Kroening, execu- tive director at Positively Pewau- kee. The organization is in the midst of recruiting businesses and marketing the shopping event. "Make it a habit to do whatever shopping you can with your local small businesses. Nothing brings people to a business like word of mouth," she said. In Brookfield, home to a host of national chains and where the day- time population is nearly double its residential population, the chamber is launching an email campaign to remind its members to support its small-business base. "A lot of our business communi- ty doesn't live in Brookfield," explained Carol White, president and CEO of the Greater Brookfield Chamber of Commerce. "We're targeting the group that spends time here, works here and also shops here. Because we definitely believe in supporting our small businesses." Karen Sleger at Fava Tea Co. in Brookfield is one of those small businesses. She says her involve- ment in Small Business Saturday goes way beyond her patronage with American Express. "It brings awareness of the color that's brought to a community by individual, little businesses," Sleger says. "We take care of all the little niches that make a com- munity special." That's exactly what Wendy Anderson, owner of Treat Street Popcorn in Brookfield, wants peo- ple to know. "Without our support, small businesses can't survive and then we won't have these fun, cute busi- nesses," she says. "Small business- es can offer special, unique cre- ations which you just can't get at big store chains. (They) work hard and deserve the sales." In areas like Delafield, which is made up of mostly independent stores, business owners like Paula Hornbeck hope that Small Busi- ness Saturday catches on. As the owner of eyeglass boutique Eye Candy, she says she battles Web- savvy consumers and department stores with massive national mar- keting budgets every day. "I think (Small Business Satur- day) is an awesome thing because shopping locally is really impor- tant for all of us," said Hornbeck, who is also a co-chair for the Delafield Downtown Business Group. "We want to have a strong, vibrant downtown shopping area. In order for that (to happen), peo- ple have to want to shop there. We want it to be more than what American Express does." Freeman Brookfield & Elm Grove • Page 3A NOVEMBER 2015 By Cheryl L. Dejewski At least one-third of people diagnosed with diabetes do not adhere to recommend- ed guidelines for yearly dilated eye exams. This is unfortunate, since treat- ment is most effective in saving vision when diabet- ic eye disease is caught in the early stages. Remind your friend or loved one (or self) to protect their sight for tomorrow by schedul- ing an eye exam today. Explanation With diabetes, high blood sugar levels can weaken blood vessels in the eye, prompting them to leak. This causes the retina to swell and form deposits that can lead to vision loss. Blood sugar fluctuations can also promote the growth of new, fragile blood vessels on the retina, which can sometimes leak blood into the vitreous (the clear, jelly-like substance that fills the eyeball). This retinal blood vessel damage, or "retinopathy," can blur vision and lead to perma- nent sight impairment. "Of the more than 29 mil- lion Americans diagnosed with diabetes, up to 45% have some degree of diabet- ic retinopathy (damage to the sensitive retina in the back of the eye), which can lead to vision loss and blind- ness," reports Mark Freed- man, MD, senior partner at Eye Care Specialists, who has treated thousands of diabetic patients since 1988. "For some people, when a routine vision check-up uncovers signs of retinopa- thy, it is their first clue that they even have diabetes." Symptoms Usually, there are none. Most people don't notice a problem until retinopathy is so far advanced that lost vision can't be restored. That's why annual dilated eye exams are crucial. Also, call your doctor immediate- ly if you notice new vision changes (not associated with fluctuations in blood sugar), numerous floating spots (like spider webs), or a veil over your vision. Detection "Blood sugar fluctuations can temporarily affect vision, making it difficult to know if a serious problem is developing. Significant ret- inopathy may also be pre- sent and progressing even if a person's vision appears to be good. That's why diabetes-related damage can only be diagnosed through a com- prehensive eye exam. Enlarging the pupil with drops (dilation) is necessary to best see inside the eye for early signs of retin- opathy before noticeable vision loss occurs," explains Brett Rhode, MD, an ophthalmologist who con- ducts continuing education programs for diabetes coor- dinators and doctors. Treatment "We have been very pleased with the success of medications that can be painlessly injected into the eye to decrease blood vessel leakage and abnormal new growth—thus staving off progression of diabetic eye disease," reports Daniel Ferguson, MD, a former engineer who is now a lead- ing local eye surgeon. Daniel Paskowitz, MD, PhD, an ophthalmologist with credentials from Harvard and Johns Hopkins, adds, "We evaluate each patient's response individually to determine if and when (about every 4-12 weeks) they should receive injec- tions. We have seen amaz- ing results with Avastin, Eylea and Lucentis, includ- ing stabilization of vision and, in some cases, improve- ment in sight." Incidence "Diabetic eye disease can appear as early as upon diagnosis of diabetes. All diabetics—type 1 or 2, insulin-dependent or not— are at risk, which increases with the number of years you are diabetic. For exam- ple, patients with diabetes for less than five years have about a 15% incidence of retinopathy. This skyrock- ets, however, to 80% in peo- ple with diabetes for 15+ years," says eye care spe- cialist Michael Raciti, MD. Prevention "Diabetes-related sight loss is often preventable with good blood sugar con- trol, yearly dilated eye exams and early interven- tion. But all of our expertise and treatments are of no use if patients don't come in for regular checks," says David Scheidt, OD. Know someone with diabetes? Do them a favor. People with diabetic or other eye diseases often don't notice a problem until it's so far advanced that lost sight can't be restored. Diagnostic laser scans may prevent this. FREE Information End the year right by focusing on your vision for tomorrow. Start by educat- ing yourself. Call 414-321- 7035 for a free booklet on AMD, glaucoma, diabetes or cataracts. Then, sched- ule a comprehensive eye exam. If you don't have an eye care specialist or would like a second opinion, you are invited to make an appoint- ment at one of t h e o f f i c e s b e l o w , including a c r o s s the street f r o m M ay f a i r Mall. Mark Freedman, MD Brett Rhode, MD Daniel Ferguson, MD Daniel Paskowitz, MD, PhD Michael Raciti, MD David Scheidt, OD T E YE C ARE S PECIALISTS Wisconsin's leading ophthalmology practice. Trusted by more than 130,000 doctors & patients since 1985 World-class care. Local convenience. Medical, surgical & laser services for every age and every need. West Allis Wauwatosa Milwaukee 10150 W. National Ave. 2323 N. Mayfair Rd. 735 W. Wisconsin Ave. 414-321-7520 414-258-4550 414-298-0099 www.eyecarespecialists.net ■ Glaucoma, Diabetes and Macular Degeneration Care (with advanced medication injection and laser treatments) ■ No-Stitch, No-Shot Ultrasonic Cataract Surgery (with standard, multi-focal or toric lens implants) ■ Corneal Transplants, Lid Repair and Retinal Cases ■ Customized Laser Vision Correction (LASIK & PRK) ■ Diagnostic Laser Scans ■ Comprehensive Eye Exams ■ Pediatric Care & Surgery ■ Dry Eye & Ocular Infection Treatments ■ Accept Medicare/Most Major Insurances M Magazine & Milwaukee Magazine TOP DOCTORS in EYE CARE Paid Advertisement Normal Vision (top) v. Vision with Diabetic Eye Disease Diabetes can cause abnormal retinal blood vessel growth, leakage and bleeding that can lead to blurring, dark spots, and loss of vision. Retina Damaged blood vessels Leakage & bleeding 246957007 Submitted photo Snapdragon Flowers at 13458 Watertown Plank Road in Elm Grove. Small Business Saturday aims to help Main Street businesses Snapdragon puts petals to the mettle Five years in, flower shop partners feel at home in community Charles Auer/Freeman Staff Downtown Elm Grove is home to many small businesses.

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